Who are Gareth Southgate's Monument Men? Assessing the five players who've been a constant in the England manager's squad since Euro 2016

Gareth Southgate will become only the third England manager to reach a Century of games on Saturday, with five key players proving the bedrock of his reign.

Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Kieran Trippier and Harry Kane are the only players who have been with Southgate at all four of his major tournaments, each of which has seen England reach at least the quarter-finals.

Indeed Walker and Stones were starters in Southgate's very first match against Malta in 2016 and will almost certainly feature again when England face Switzerland in the last eight of Euro 2024.

Mail Sport looks at the five pillars of Southgate's success…

JORDAN PICKFORD

Games under Southgate: 65 (23 in major tournaments)

Goals under Southgate: 0

Pickford started with a clean sheet when handed his debut by Southgate against Germany in 2017 and now has more of them in major championships than any other England goalkeeper.

Unusually in this England team, Pickford has never played Champions League football but Southgate has been justified in sticking with Everton's No1 who became a national hero in 2018 when his saves against Colombia helped the Three Lions win their first World Cup penalty shoot-out.

During his tenure, Pickford has been questioned for being over-emotional and not being big enough by the standards of modern goalkeepers, but he's never lost his place under Southgate.

At Euro 2020, he sent a new national record by not conceding a goal for 726 minutes – equivalent to more than eight full matches.

The 30-year-old now stands fifth on the all-time appearance list for England 'keepers behind Peter Shilton, David Seaman, Joe Hart and Gordon Banks. Not bad company to keep and plenty of time to add many more caps.

Gareth on Jordan… 'He knows the belief I have in him. He is an important fit for the way we want to play.'

Jordan on Gareth… 'Everything we do in training and the meetings we have, he delivers them brilliantly for us and gets us the right game plan.

KYLE WALKER

Games under Southgate: 67 (18 in major tournaments)

Goals under Southgate: 1

Walker was still a Tottenham player when he started in Southgate's first match in charge against Malta but by the time he starred in the 2018 World Cup as a right-sided centre-back he had moved onto Manchester City.

Since Russia, Southgate has primarily used Walker in his preferred position of right-back where he has stayed first-choice for all the big matches despite intense competition from Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James and Kieran Trippier.

Between major tournaments, Walker has had his absences from the England squad with a gap of 15 months between appearances after the summer of 2019. But as he continued to collect trophies at City, Southgate has always turned to him at the most important times and he is vice-captain for these Euros.

At 34, Walker's legendary pace still shows no signs of diminishing. His duel with Kylian Mbappe was one of the highlights of the last World Cup and he has developed into a real leader in the dressing-room, though his performance was criticised in England's dramatic comeback win against Slovakia.

Gareth on Kyle… 'If we're talking about world-class players in their position in our team then he's probably one of them.'

Kyle on Gareth… 'The manager has expressed that he wants to play free, attacking football. Sometimes in a tournament you have to manage the game.'

JOHN STONES

Games under Southgate: 65 (22 in major tournaments)

Goals under Southgate: 3 (2 in major tournaments)

Southgate was a huge admirer of Stones from managing the England under-21s and had no hesitation in making him a cornerstone of the senior team.

Stones was selected for the new manager's first match despite having recently joined Manchester City amidst a debate whether his defending was as at the same level as his ball-playing.

History has shown Southgate's faith was fully vindicated. Stones has been an integral part of England's defence at three major tournaments alongside Harry Maguire and now in Germany with Marc Guehi, though the Crystal Palace defender's suspension means a new partner will have to be drafted in against Switzerland on Saturday.

Besides exuding a calm authority at the back, Stones sparked the run to the World Cup semi-finals in Russia by scoring two unlikely first-half goals in the opening win against Panama which set the tone.

He's revolutionised the view of English central defenders and famously stepped into midfield for City when they won the Champions League by beating Inter Milan in the 2023 final.

Gareth on John… 'He takes huge strain of the game on his shoulders and he's incredibly courageous to do that.'

John on Gareth… 'He brings a great calmness to the group and is always talking to every player individually.'

KIERAN TRIPPIER

Games under Southgate: 52 (18 in major tournaments)

Goals under Southgate: 1 (1 in major tournaments)

Despite England possessing a golden generation of full-backs, Trippier has been an ever-present in Southgate's tournament squads and usually been a starter, his versatility allowing him to play as a right wing-back in the 2018 World Cup and 2020 Euros, and now as a left-back in the current European Championships.

Trippier made his England debut under Southgate at the relatively senior age of 26 against France in 2017 but has still gone on to win a half-century of caps. He also has the distinction of going to three successive tournaments whilst playing with different club teams – Tottenham, Atletico Madrid and Newcastle.

Southgate has grown to rely on Trippier's influence in the dressing-room, mature, experienced and never letting his moods fluctuate too high or low.

A threat in delivering set-pieces, his most famous moment in an England shirt came when he scored the opening goal from a free-kick against Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semi-final; the first Three Lions player to have scored in a major semi-final since Alan Shearer at Euro 96.

Though there have been daily bulletins on the fitness of Luke Shaw to provide balance at left-back, the right-footed Trippier has been part of an England defence that has conceded only twice in four matches at The Euros and if he recovers from a slight knee problem, he'll be hoping to start again against the Swiss.

Gareth on Kieran… 'We all know the leadership qualities that he has, the impact that he has on the team and on the squad.

Kieran on Gareth… 'Gareth has created what it means to represent England and we have all bought into it,'

HARRY KANE

Games under Southgate: 78 (14 in major tournaments)

Goals under Southgate: 61 (12 in major tournaments)

Shortly before Southgate took over, Kane had unwittingly become one of the stories of England's disastrous Euro 2016 campaign with a national debate about why the prolific centre-forward had ended up taking corners.

Injury prevented him from participating in Southgate's opening game but he made a huge impact in his first match for the new manager – scoring an injury-time equaliser against Scotland at Hampden that helped secure England's qualification for the 2018 World Cup.

By the time, England set off for Russia, Southgate had given Kane the England armband even though he was never been club captain at Tottenham. Kane became only the second Englishman after Gary Lineker to win the World Cup Golden Boot and the records have been tumbling ever since.

Kane is now streets ahead of anyone else as England's record goalscorer, his match-winning header against Slovakia on Sunday his 65th goal for his country.

Unlike the three previous major tournaments, he went to these Euros in Germany as a Bayern Munich rather than a Tottenham player where his Bundesliga success has made him one of the major attractions of the tournament to local fans.

Though Kane's role is often questioned – particularly whether he should drift deep so often – he's become a hugely-inspirational figure to others in the dressing-room and many will hope England can give him a long overdue trophy in an otherwise glittering career.

Gareth on Harry… 'To break the England goalscoring record is an indication of his strength of character and mentality.'

Harry on Gareth… 'I can't speak highly enough of Gareth and what he has done for this team and the nation. In terms of where we were and where we are now as a national team is completely different.'